The newly formed Poplar Grove and Tide Mill Foundation has acquired the historic mill and the Poplar Grove Estate, located on the East River between Mathews Court House and Port Haywood.
The group’s goal is restoration of the mill and making the land available to the public for education purposes. The foundation is made up of four members: Conrad Hall, David Lowe, Lynne White and Josie Thorpe.
The mill house is a two-story structure built on a narrow stretch of land separating the mill pond from the river. During the mill’s operation, the rise and fall of the tide was used to turn the large wheel on the side of the building, grinding corn. It has undergone restoration once before, but is in need of repair again.
The former mill was built pre-American Revolution and was said to have milled corn for George Washington’s army during the siege of Yorktown. In 1862, the mill was destroyed by the Union Army during the American Civil War. “They came up the East River and by cavalry,” said Lowe...